The Internet (e.g., World Wide Web) has enabled persons from all over the world to communicate with others who share a common interest. For example, Internet chat rooms are a well-established means for persons to engage in group discussions relating to varying topics or issues. There are numerous chat rooms, each focusing on a particular topic in a free-form, unmoderated interaction format. To participate in a chat room discussion, however, requires accessibility to a computer and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) connection. Moreover, Internet chat room discussions are essentially text-based only.
Telephone systems, including teleconferencing equipment and the like, allow multiple participants to remotely converse with each other in a conference call via a dedicated communication channel, without the need for a computer or ISP connection. Individual participants, however, cannot choose and/or selectively change discussion groups (and therefore discussion topics) in a fashion similar to that of an Internet-based chat room.
Another more portable means by which group conversation is conventionally facilitated, without the need for a computer and Internet connection, is through the use of two-way radios. Two-way radios, however, only allow a single person to communicate at one time while a transceiver button is depressed. Generally, two-way radios require a user to manually depress a “transmit” button or switch, thus essentially cutting off communication from others while the button remains in the “transmit” position. Additionally, conventional two-way radios lack a mechanism for partitioning discussions according to an individual topic (e.g., sports, health and fitness, weather, politics, science, etc.) assigned to a channel, which users can then select or change as desired.
Conventional communication systems and methods do not address the above-identified problems and issues. Accordingly, there is a need in the field of communication systems for techniques for enabling discussions among multiple users relating to predefined topics of interest (e.g., voice as well as text-based) while engaged in a mobile activity, such as biking, driving, jogging, etc. Furthermore, it would be desirable if such communication system, device and/or method could provide hands-free operation, for example by including voice recognition capability. Conventional communication systems and devices, such as two-way radios, cellular telephones, and the like, are not configured nor are they utilized in a manner that promotes community and conferencing.